Puberty, Parents, Eggs, and Love
by MangaMagic
Summary: Amu never thought so much could happen at once - but knowing that she was from a closed-adoption was the icing on the cake. Who are her real parents, and why is it such a secret? Will she be able to find them before someone even more dangerous finds her?
1. Puberty, Parents, and Ikuto Oh My

**Okay, so I kind of had this idea the other day after reading another related fanfiction titled: Amu Momomiya: Decendant of an Unknown Past by: Nosuka chan (I advise you to read it - it's good) and this idea came to me last night after I caught up on hers (ah - the wonders of a teenager's imagination~)**

**I haven't actually visited either anime or manga in quite a while so bear with me if I make any mistakes concerning either series. XD~**

**Enjoy~**

**-MangaMagic**

**Oh, and a word to the wise - the first part of this was kind of a random idea I had to lead onto the end of the chapter and the coming one...plus...**

**It never actually SAYS she's hit puberty...right?**

**WARNING: EXTREME~AMUTO FLUFF**

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><p>"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"<p>

Midori's head shot up from her cooking at the sound of her eldest daughter's terror filled shriek. She dropped the bowl of batter and wisk she had just been using on the tiled floor - the white contents splattering over the ground as she ran towards the stairs and up to her daughter's room.

"AMU!" she cried out, throwing open the door to stare at her teenage daughter in surprise. "Are you okay? I heard you scream!"

Amu stared up at her with terrified eyes. "Mama! I'm bleeding!"

Midori pressed a hand to her forehead, sighing in relief before glancing down to look at Amu's baby-blue bed sheets and grimacing at the red stain that had blossomed across the bed. She looked back up at Amu and gave a soft smile. "It's alright Amu - it's perfectly natural. You're turning into a young woman!"

Amu let out a shill cry. "NATURAL? WHAT'S NATURAL ABOUT-"

"AMU~I HEARD SCREAMING! PAPA IS HERE TO RESCUE YOU!" Tsumugu yelled.

Midori instantly turned and pressed a hand to her husbands chest, in an attempt to stop his intrusion. "Dear, I think you should let me handle it - this is a girl to girl talk..." she said softly.

Tsumugu frowned, staring at his wife with large eyed gaze. "Wait! You don't mean!-"

Midori shooed her husband out of the room and closed it behind her, sighing, and turned back to her frantic daughter.

"Amu-I think it's about time we had a talk..."

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><p>Amu was absolutely beet-red as she walked to school, shuffling slowly as she made her way up the hill towards the academy.<p>

"Amu-it's not so bad! You're growing up!" Miki said reassuringly.

Amu glanced up at her four charas and frowned. "But...I'll have to go through this EVERY month..." she wined.

"Fighto! Fighto! Amu-chan~!" Ran cheered, throwing her pom poms up.

Amu smirked and continued on to school, her four card suited charas cheering her on.

"Amu-chi!"

Amu glanced up and smiled at Yaya who stood waving to her from the top of the hill at the gates to Seiyo. Yaya's grin faded when she looked at the blush on Amu's face and cocked her head in confusion.

"Amu-chi...is something wrong?"

Amu shook her head and looked down at the pavement - cursing her continuous embarrasment at the conversation about...puberty...she and her mother had had earlier that morning.

"It's nothin Yaya-"

"Amu hit puberty~!" Ran sang, flying in circles around around the cotton-candy haired Joker chair.

"RAN!"

Yaya simply gave her a confused look - not understanding what the pink chara had meant and simply shrugged it off, continuing on to their classes for the day.

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><p>Amu collapsed on her bed, the exhausting day finally crashing down on her. Too tired to change, she simply crawled under her covers in her uniform, lazily kicking off her shoes and snuggling comfortably into her clean sheets.<p>

A day of attempting to keep Ran from blabbing her incident this morning (failing epicly might she add) - Ran telling all of the charas - the charas telling their owners - two blushing boys - and a curious Yaya and Rima was the highlight of her day and now all she wanted to do was sleep for the next year with not a single interruption.

_'TAPTAP'_

Amu groaned and pulled her comforter up over her head - not even bothering to anwser to whomever was knocking.

_'SHINKCLACK'_

Amu's eyebrows furrowed at the noise but she simply ignored it and closed her heavy eye-lids - attempting to slip into a sweet slumber but was interrupted by her comforter shifting and a body slipping in next to her.

She opened her eyes and squeaked at the smirking Ikuto - who's nose was nearly touching her own and pushed the cat-burgular off her bed landing with a resounding _'THUMP' _on the carpeted floor beneath him.

"Ow..." he muttered, leaning forward and rubbing his now sore backside.

"BAKA NEKOMIMI!" She cried with a blush, standing and pressing herself against the farthest wall from the invading chat-chara bearer. "What are you doing in my room?"

He smirked and rested his chin on his bent knee, staring up at her mischeviously. "I only came to say hello..."

Amu glared at him. "With you there is _always_ an alternative motive..."

His tail and ear-combo sprung out in a quick flicker and he sniffed the air greedily, standing and following whatever scent he was searching for to Amu - trapping her in a corner. "Well...I guess it is true. My little Amu is growing up faster than I thought."

Amu's face practically exploded with color, and she resulted in slapping the midnight-haired cat-boy upside the head so hard it echoed through the room. "HENTAI! W-WHO TOLD YOU!"

Ikuto blinked for a moment, rubbing his newely aquired bumb, and threw a thumb over his shoulder at the cowering cat-chara. "Yoru. Apparently your little chara is a bit of a loud-mouth." he said with a small smirk before stalking closer with his head dipped low. "You're growing fast...you just have to catch up..."

Amu blushed as he tipped her chin up with light fingers, gazing down at her with narrowed violet eyes. She squeezed her eyes shut as his face moved closer.

Ikuto chuckled softly, planting a soft kiss on her nose before dissapearing out the balcony window in an instant.

Amu's eyes snapped open to see her room empty - and an almost dissapointed whine left her mouth before she went to the window, glancing around before closing it and drawing the shades back to their rightful place.

She finally took this moment of peace to slip into her pajamas, throwing her uniform over the back of her workchair in the corner and plopped down on her bed with a sigh.

_'KNOCKKNOCK'_

_'I'm NEVER going to get any rest am I?'_

Amu sighed, standing up and stood in front of her sliding door, drawing the shades back and expecting to see Ikuto standing in the window again - but the landing was empty of life.

_"Amu? Can we speak to you?"_ Her mother's voice echoed through her bedroom door.

Amu glanced at her four charas that slept peacefully in their respective eggs in the basket on her nightstand before gong to the door and opening it to see her mother standing there with a soft expression.

"What's wrong, Mama?" she said, blinking in confusion.

Her mother simply took her hand and led her downstairs to the kitchen where her father sat silently at the kitchen table, a forlorn expression over his countenance. Her mother simply pulled her over to the head of the table, pushing her softly down into the chair before taking her own seat on Amu's other side.

"Amu...we need to have a talk..." she said, placing her hand over her daughters, her eyes cast onto the wooden table as if she didn't even WANT to speak.

Amu glanced back and forth. "Oh god...I _really_ don't wanna have this talk again after what happened this morning-"

"No...Amu-chan, it's not about that," Tsumugu sighed, his voice more serious than she had heard it quite a long time.

Amu swung her head back and forth between the two saddened adults, her own expression growing worried. "T-Then, what's wrong?"

Midori patted her hand softly. "Amu...when your father and I first got married, about fourteen years ago, we had trouble having a child. The doctor told me that I was...infertile. Amu, have you ever wondered why your hair, even so your eyes, matches neither mine or your father's?"

Amu stared dumfounded at her mother, glancing over at her father who's head was buried deep into his hands. "S-Sometimes...but, what does that have anything to do with it?" she murmured, her voice nothing but a whisper.

_'What are they getting at...am I not-'_

"We were so desperate," her mother cried, pressing a hand to her mouth,"and your father's cousin worked in a closed-adoptions agency in Tokyo. He helped us find you, Amu...You were only a few days old when we found you - you were absolutely the most beautiful baby we had ever seen!"

Amu's blood ran cold, her heart beating a mile-a-minute. What were they talking about? "Wait...so I'm-I'm not...You're not my parents?"

"No!" Her father said suddenly, standing quickly from his chair. "We are your parents -we raised you! We're just not your _biological_ parents..."

Amu gazed down a the table for a moment before looking back up at her father and mother. "But, why are you teling me this now?"

"Well, now that you've physically become a young lady, we decided that it would be best to tell you - rather then hold it off any longer," her father said, pouting sadly after at the thought of his precious daughter growing up.

Her mother sighed and shook her head at her husband. "You see, your biological mother was very young when she had you - nineteen, just out of high school - and she had no way of supporting you fully. She decided that you would be safest being raised by someone else - and apparently she was afraid you would get hurt in the life-style she lived. So she put you up for a closed-adoption, meaning she didn't want you to have any contact with her once you grew older. We met her once, per her request, the day we recieved you. She was so kind, and beautiful, and so young. At first we felt horrible taking you from her - but she was happy that you would get to live your life happily."

Amu pressed a hand to her forehead, afraid that she would pass out from all the information that was being thrown at her all in one day. She felt tears brim up in her gold eyes, and it was almost immpossible for her to breath properly.

Midori glanced over at her husband with a worried expression then turned back to her daughter, pulling her into a motherly embrace. "You should go to sleep...it's been a long day. It'll give you time to think over everything. If you have any questions you can ask us anything you'd like tomorrow after you've rested."

Amu nodded silently, standing slowly and drifting to the stairs, refusing to say a word until she got up to her room. She closed her door quickly behind her, pressing her back to it and slipping to the floor with her face in her hands, finally letting her tears finally flow free.

"Amu?"

Her head snapped up to see Ikuto lounging comfortably on her bed, one of her mangas open carelessly on the sheets, a worried expression on his face when he saw her tears.

Without thinking twice she ran to the bed and burried her head into his chest, crying openly. His arms wrapped tightly around her, pulling her into his chest as he laid down letting her let out all of her frustration into his now wet shirt. He pressed his nose into her cotton-candy locks, his fingers rubbing soft circles into her back - completly unsure of what had made her cry so much.

But he didn't care - as long as it was him she came to, he would hold her until all her bad thoughts went away.

And he did - because sooner said than done, she had slipped into a restless sleep, pressed softly against his chest.

He gave the top of her head an almost feather-light kiss before closing his own eyes.

_'I'm here...Amu'_


	2. Morning After - Need a Pill

**I am incredibly sorry for not update for so long, I lost the original copy of this chapter and lost the will to write after that because I hadn't watched either series for such a long time.**

**I have been doing online school courses, as well as normal school which has been a hell of a burden, and haven't written much of anything.  
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**However, just today I went back and read the first chapter which gave me inspiration to write this - all in one day surprisingly. It isn't much, but the next one will come in the next few days :)  
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**Disclaimer: I do not own _Shugo C_hara or _Tokyo Mew Mew._  
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><p>It wasn't until the morning after that Amu awoke.<p>

She was incredibly tired, physically and even more so emotionally after the blow she had received the night prior from her parents. She was cramping, and her head throbbed painfully with an oncoming migraine. However, she refused to leave the comfort of her warm sheets.

It was obvious, after a moment, that Ikuto was nowhere to be found, and the indent beside her was still warm to the touch. She knew he would not have been able to stay regardless, but she was still disappointing that he had not stayed long enough to say goodbye.

Ame sighed and lifted herself from her bed after a few minutes of rest, and reluctantly opened the door and stepped out. She cringed internally when she spotted her..._father_ just at the top of the stairs walking towards her with a small try of breakfast.

Tsumugu stopped and observed her closely, and slowly approached and set the tray down next to her door with a sigh.

"I thought you might not want to eat breakfast with us this morning after what happened, so Mama had me bring this up for you. I already called in today and said you were sick, so you can just rest. I-" he paused in his rambling for a moment and looked at Amu's blank face, his somber expression growing much more distressed. "I-I'm sorry, Amu-chan...I just - I mean we just-"

He was uncomfortable, that much was obvious the way he fidgeted and scratched at his scalp. She didn't blame him, she was almost as uncomfortable as he - and it was abnormal for the pair despite the situation.

It was silent for a moment, Amu rubbing her arm, eyes cast towards the end of the hall where the bathroom door was open. "I...I know you're sorry...P-Papa. I'm just a little...uneasy right now. I just need time to think, if that's okay with you."

Her reply seemed to be enough for him, and he smiled softly and kissed her softly on the top of the head with a loose hug before heading back downstairs.

After a moment in the bathroom, she returned and grabbed the tray outside her door, and went inside, kicking the door shut softly behind her.

Dia, the loving chara she was, was instantly at her side and pressed herself softly to Amu's cheek in a loving manner. "Amu," she whispered. "I heard last night, are you alright? Your sparkle...it's dimmed so greatly."

She set the tray down on her desk, the three remaining charas drowsily leaving their eggs at the delightful smell of bacon wafting through the room, and settled herself in the chair.

"I'm just so confused...I don't know what I should feel right now! I'm so angry at them for not telling me before, but I love them so much - they raised me. The pressure it's putting on me, I feel like my whole life is a lie." She stopped for a moment and rubbed at the tears welling in her eyes. "And why did my real mother give me up? What could have been so dangerous in her life that was more of a priority than me?"

"Maybe she was a yakuza and she was protecting you form rival clans!" Miki blurted.

The other three chara's gave her a glare, but Amu only chuckled.

"Hey, I don't see _you_ coming up with other ideas," she huffed, but the others ignored her.

During their talk, her breakfast had gone cold and Amu chewed on a soggy piece of toast. Questions flooded through her mind like a tidal wave: 'Who were my parents?' 'What was so dangerous?' 'Are they still alive?' 'Did they...have another child?'

"I can smell your brain burning, don't think so hard," a voice joked.

She looked over at the balcony doorway where Ikuto stood, his hair damp and a grocery bag in his hand. His tail twitched wildly as he watched her, his face solemn and hesitant.

"What happened, Amu?" he asked softly, his deep voice making her hair stand on end and heat pool in her stomach. Well _that_ was new.

She set down the toast, and rubbed at her head again, the migraine fading after she got some food into her. "My...parents. They told me I was adopted."

His tail froze and his eyes widened. "Adopted? That can't be right. Why now of all times?"

Amu blushed. "Because I, um, well because I'm a _young lady_ now," she said with a cough into her fist.

He chuckled at her embarrassment, and placed the grocery bag on her desk. "Well, do you have any idea who your real parents are?" He unpacked the bag, setting two soda's down and an assortment of sweets, going to nibble on a takoyaki he had hidden in the bottom.

"No," she muttered, cracking open a soda and taking a sip. "They said it was a closed adoption, although they did meet my mom during the exchange, I doubt they even knew her name."

He quirked an eyebrow. "Did you ask?"

She shook her head with a nervous smile and he only chuckled.

"Well, since you obviously have time today from skipping school-"

"And so did you."

"-maybe you should bring up a few of those questions. Any ideas on where they might be?" he continued, ignoring her accusation of playing hookey.

"Well, they said Tokyo..."

"That's a pretty big city, and I'm sure there are hundreds of women strutting around with pink hair - natural or not."

She nodded. "True, true. Mama said she gave me up because her line of work was dangerous."

"A bounty hunter, maybe? A lot of criminals have been breaking out of jail the past few decades," he suggested.

"I'm still sticking to my yakuza theory, at least it's believable," Miki said with a nod.

"Oh? And mini flying people is?" Amu deadpanned.

Miki had no retort, and the four charas laughed at her expense.

Ikuto finished off his treat and opened his own soda. "I suggest you ask when you feel up to it, knowing more will make you feel less conflicted about everything."

"Since when did you become a guru about family matters?" Amu joked.

"Eh, my dad has that effect on me," he muttered around his drink.

Amu looked down at her snack, small sesame seed cakes in the shape of smiley faces gazed up at her. Beside them, her phone was lit up, missed messages scrolling across the screen. Many of them were from her friends, one or two from Utau who most likely heard of the incident from Ikuto upon his brief return home. She answered some - _'I'm fine don't worry' 'I'll be back in a few days' 'Just a little stressed' 'No, Yaya, I didn't get eaten by a Polar Bear - sheesh'. _The others were simply repeats of prior messages from the few impatient whom hadn't received a reply seconds after sending - and she deleted them to make room for the onslaught of more._  
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I'm going to go ask them," she stated after a few silent minutes.

Ikuto, looking up from where he had made himself comfortable on her sloppy bed looked at her worried. "Are you sure you can handle it now?"

She nodded, and grabbed for her clothes, only to frown and shove the mischievous, grinning cat out onto the balcony - long enough for her to change before allowing him back in and heading downstairs to confront her parents.


	3. Baby Baby, My Sweetheart

**Wow, I'm really in the groove for this story XD**

**Note: Before anyone asks, this is after Ikuto returns from finding his father - but he still has Yoru for the sake of future chapters :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own ****_Shugo Chara_**** or ****_Tokyo Mew Mew._**

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><p>Standing in the doorway to the kitchen, Amu could see her mother twittering around frantically, cooking and baking different things to keep both her hands and her mind occupied. It was sad to see her in such a stressed state, and Amu wished she hadn't walked off when her mother was in such turmoil the night prior.<p>

"Mama?" she whispered softly, stepping in.

Midori froze, turning to look at Amu with glistening eyes at what she had just heard. "Y-You're still calling me Mama?"

Amu smiled and stepped forward, taking the spatula from her hands. "I know you may not have given birth to me, but you're still my mother nonetheless. I can't hold what my birth-mother did against you, it wouldn't be right."

Midori enveloped her daughter in a tight hug, sobbing softly at her words. It was relief, to say the least, that she so easily forgave her parents for lying to her for so many years. "Oh _Amu_. Sweetheart - oh Amu. Thank you," she cried into her shoulder.

Amu returned the hug, and from over her mother's shoulder she could see Dia give her a shooing motion as if to say '_Go on, you can do it. Ask.'_

She released her mother and watched her return to her cooking, her face now red and smiling. "Mama, you said I could ask - about my real mom I mean...Can I?"

"Of course sweetheart!" Midori crooned, her bad mood now but a distant memory.

Amu picked up a settling bowl of cake mix and stirred it lazily. "Do you know her name?"

Midori shook her head with a frown. "No, but I remember what she looked like." She began to whip a bowl of meringue and continued. "She was tall, close to Papa's height, with strawberry pink hair down to her shoulder blades. Bright cotton-pink eyes, and I bet when you're older you'll look quite a bit like her. She was beautiful."

Amu blushed at the indirect compliment and dipped a finger into the batter to taste. "What about my father?"

Midori paused to look at Amu. "You know...he wasn't there when we got you. And the name on the birth certificate was John Doe, which is only used if a person is unknown. Which is quite odd."

"_Yakuza~"_ Miki sang, yelping when she was kicked in the head and shushed by Ran.

Amu ceased her helping and sat up on the counter with a huff. "So, no actual clues?"

"Clues?" Midori laughed, smirking at her daughter. "You trying to piece everything together?"

Amu shrugged. "I guess so, I mean - you don't seem to know much about her anyway."

Her mother gave a sigh of exasperation. "Well, we didn't know much about her in the first place. It's been 14 years, Amu. Do you expect me to remember every little detail?"

Midori only received a hesitant shrug and she chuckled softly, shaking her head. "How about this, I'll go rifle up the birth certificate and maybe you might be able to find some information about her on the computer."

Amu complied with the answer, her mother heading into her room, moments later returning with a manilla envelope she handed to her. "Arigato, Mama."

She kissed her mother's cheek and hastily made her way back to her room. It was an amusing sight, seeing Ikuto entertaining Ami in her room, a doll clutched in both hands with an adorably confused look on his face. It seemed while Amu had been downstairs, Ami had decided to sneak in to greet the cat boy and rope him into playing with her.

Ikuto looked up at her, a blush on his cheeks before smirking. "She made me."

Ami looked over her shoulder and smiled brightly at her. "Nee-chan! Look, look! He's playing with me!"

She laughed. "I can see that, Ami. Are you two having fun?"

She received a giggle and a grunt for a reply and she went to sit at her desk and turned on her computer. Amu opened the envelope, hesitating for a moment before slipping out a small packet of papers. On the top was her name, and a bunching of different legal jargon she didn't understand. Rifling through the papers, she found her birth certificate, attached was a picture of her as a newborn baby in the nursery.

"Momomiya Ichigo..." she whispered softly, gazing at the name of her mother with almost disbelief. Seeing the unfamiliar name on the sheet was enough to confirm her situation, and she pressed a palm to her mouth to hold back a cry.

"Amu, are you alright?" Ikuto stood behind her, his hands tightening on her shoulders and she relaxed slightly at his touch. How could it be just his presence calmed her so easily?

"I-I'm fine," she replied. "Its just...this kind of means its real, hn."

He gave her a small hug around the shoulders and she leaned back against his chest with a sigh. He leaned down and gave her a soft kiss on the top of her head, and surprisingly, she didn't find herself attempting to push away from his touch.

"Ew, you aren't gonna make babies are you?"

Amu let out a shriek and looked at Ami who watched them with a mischievous grin. "AMI!"

The girl let out a peal of laughter and ran from the room, Amu following closely behind to slam the door shut. When Amu turned back, she saw Ikuto frowning in disappointment.

"So does that mean we aren't?"

A glare was all it took to shut him up.


	4. Clues To the Unknown

**Sorry, this chapter is a bit boring, but it's about as long as the last one. Think of it as a gift ;)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own ****_Shugo Chara_**** or ****_Tokyo Mew Mew._**

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><p>It was a moment of truth, in Amu's eyes, by knowing the name of her birth-mother. With the expansive internet to search, it would be tedious, but she was sure she would find at least one thing to lead her in the right direction. With Ikuto over her shoulder, she typed the name <em>Momomiya Ichigo <em>into the search bar, and hundreds upon thousands of results flooded the screen. Different variations of the name, people with similar first names or surnames, and even recipes for strawberry cheesecake.

This was going to be incredibly difficult.

"Try narrowing the search," Ikuto's voice chimed in. He leaned forward and typed "_+Tokyo_" behind the name and pressed enter. There were fewer, but it was still too many to read through without inducing a headache.

The images provided no help to the situation, showing only miscellaneous pictures of girls with kissy faces, and strawberries showed. Those were definitely not helpful.

"Are there any papers in there pertaining to locations? A district maybe?"

Amu began to fumble through the papers with a look of loss on her face. Many of the words were jumbled and confusing, but she managed to spot a name. "Minato Municipal Hospital. Isn't that in the region near the Tokyo Tower?"

He nodded, and once again added "_+Minato ward" _to the search. It revealed fewer this time.

Ikuto began to scroll through, the results, glancing quickly over any that seemed to be related closely to what they searched for.

"Hey, what's that?"

He stopped and looked at where her finger pointed. The name Momomiya Ichigo was captioned beneath an article link, listed after several other names. Clicking on it revealed a newspaper review on a frilly pink cafe. Although the picture was date June 17th 1992, it seemed to be a recent article not any more than a few months old.

The picture was of the cafe, two men and five teenagers appearing in the entrance. In the front stood a soft-pink haired girl, her face rounded and smiling. If anything, she appeared to be a carbon copy of Amu, despite the difference in eye color.

"I think...that's her," she whispered in awe.

"Are you sure? She looks like she's twelve, she couldn't have been much older when she had you," Ikuto stated, his voice unsure and hesitant.

Amu did a few calculations in her head, fingers twitching as if she were typing on the calculator. "Hm, she was nineteen when she had me, and I was born in 1998, so she would have been twelve or thirteen when this was taken...yes that's definitely her. What about the article?"

He scrolled down and Amu began to read aloud.

"Built in 1991, Cafe Mew Mew has been run primarily by its owner, Shirogane Ryou, and the continuing staff for the past 20 years. Known most notably for its chaotic hours, it has continued to serve the best Strawberry Cheesecake on this side of the Pacific. Recently, ownership has been passed over to one of the former waitresses, Midorikawa Lettuce, who plans on renovating the older structure as well as updating the menu in order to attract younger customers. She states that "Although many of our former staff is off living their lives, from time to time they stop bye for old times sake." Every Saturday, award winning actress and model Fujiwara Zakuro-oh!"

Amu stopped, her eyes wide at the recognizable name. "Fujiwara Zakuro?" she parroted. "She was a waitress at the Cafe?"

Ikuto glanced down at the pink-haired girl who had a look of hope on her face. "You think she might now your mom?"

Amu nodded and pointed to the picture, a young Zakuro standing beside Amu's mother, smiling softly at the ginger-haired girl who seemed ready to burst from the screen in joy. "There she is, and not only that but it says the old staff visits from time to time! Maybe my mom does too!"

The joy was evident on Amu's face, and Ikuto found no reason to voice his concern over the obscure article. It was rather odd, being the first thing to have popped up after the fuss they had not moments before, but as the saying goes 'Don't look a gift horse in the mouth' and it was a blessing of a message that Amu's mother was in-fact possible to find despite 14 years of absence.

Amu's phone buzzed on the desk, and went silent for a few moments before starting up again. She had planned to ignore it, but it seemed as the caller had rung her a second time and it seemed somewhat urgent. She picked up the phone.

"Moshi moshi," she spoke, here eyes focused on the article with morbid fascination. She leaned back and blinked. "Tsukasa-san? What do you mean he wants to speak to me? Well yes-I...O-Okay Tadase-kun."

Ikuto hummed. "So what did the Little King say about Tsukasa?"

She looked over her shoulder at him. "He said that Tsukasa wanted to speak to me, and that the two of them would be waiting at the observatory."

Ikuto hummed in reply and walked to the balcony, glancing over his shoulder at her. "You coming?"

"Oh!" She stood and followed the cat outside, ready to character change with Ran, but with one fell swoop, Ikuto had scooped her into his arms and was leaping across the rooftops with a screeching Amu in tow.

In Amu's bedroom, it was silent. The door was left closed, and the computer's light illuminated the room. The article, left up on the screen, seemed to flicker into oblivion, 1's and 0's lining up before it shut down completely.


	5. Libra - Seeker of Truth

**This is currently the 5th most reviewed story of this crossover series, keep it up people ;) Not only that, but I think I might set a limit for when I update.**

**I will update when I receive 5 reviews. The current average is 4 so lets see how much you love me XD**

**_Disclaimer: I do NOT own Tokyo Mew Mew_ or_ Shugo Chara_  
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><p>The pair arrived at the observatory several minutes later, Amu flustered and ranting at the cat boy, and Ikuto seemed to have a satisfied grin on his lips as he smirked at the pink-haired girl. Tadase had learned quickly that he could not be jealous of Ikuto's obscure relationship with Amu, but seeing him holding her as if she were his bride made his heart clench at past memories.<p>

He shook the thoughts from his head and proceeded to greet the two. "Hinamori-san, Tsukasa-san is inside waiting for you."

Amu, flustered and seething, nodded to Tadase as she adjusted her skirt from it's windblown position, her four charas floating hastily behind her.

Tadase turned back to Ikuto, a frown on his face at the smug expression he was sent by the cat-chara bearer who slunk over and leaned himself against one side of the door.

"Nee-tan, what did you do to Hinamori-san?" Tadase questioned.

He chuckled. "I didn't do anything except carry her. She just over-reacted as always. Why? Did you _think _I would do something indecent to her?"

Tadase, of course, refused to answer.

"You are such a perv."

Tadase blushed brightly. "W-What! No I am most certainly not! Why would you even say that?"

Ikuto stretched and gave the middle schooler a sly grin. "Well, you we're the one who came to the conclusion that I had done something in the first place."

The blonde haired prince had no argument and he slumped against the wall, muttering beneath his breath.

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><p>Amu had entered to observatory, the twinkling lights as soothing as they had been the first day she had stepped into the building. She found herself robotically walking down the isle until she came upon Tsukasa, gazing up at the starry ceiling as he shuffled a pack of cards in his hands.<p>

"Ah, Amu," he spoke, turning his attention to her. "Come and sit, I have much to talk to you about."

She complied and sat down beside him, her hands clutching at her knees. She knew there was nothing to be scared of, but for some reason she believed she was going to be berated for her absence from school that day.

"Tell me, what do you see in the sky there?"

He was pointing above their heads where clusters of bright stars were. She didn't understand what he was referring to, but she answered. "Stars?"

He chuckled. "No, look closer."

She did so, but she was still unsure of what he was telling her to find. She could hear him laugh once again at her clueless expression and patted her shoulder softly.

"Haha, I wasn't expecting you to understand it right away, Amu." He traced a pattern in the air with his finger seeming to connect the stars above. "That is the constellation of Libra, the scales."

"Oh, that's my sign **(AN)**," she said with understanding. "Like with horoscopes and stuff."

Tsukasa nodded. "Yes, that is true. The Libra, is a balance. Librans are critical minded, and fair in their decisions while still being partial. But most importantly, they are the truth seekers - both in life and in themselves. They search for answers...such as what you are doing now."

Amu was shocked for a moment, before remembering that the man was rather notorious for knowing things he shouldn't have in the first place and decided to keep quite and let him finish.

"You wont find true answers by asking outside sources, going to the source is the only true way to learn what it is you seek," he continued.

She seemed to have an expression of enlightenment, and she stood up suddenly. "I know what I have to do."

Tsukasa seemed startled and watched her run for the doors. "But...I didn't even finish what I was saying..." He looked down at the cards in his hand, the Queen of Spades and the Joker the two most prominent.

Amu burst through the doors, smacking the two boys on either side. The pair let out a collective shout and watched Amu strut out quickly off in the direction of the school gates.

"Amu, where are you going?" Ikuto asked, trotting to catch up with her.

She turned and with a wide grin she said, "Tokyo."

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><p>"You do understand that she is going to disembowel you when she find out what you did, right?"<p>

A blonde man, sitting before a doctored image of a newspaper article, stretched his arms above his head with a wide grin. He was absolutely relaxed, watching the video of a pink hair girl speaking to a pair of boys with great interest.

"I'm perfectly aware of how she'll react - but she doesn't have any say in the matter as to what I do and don't do in my spare time." The blond gave a glare over his shoulder at his brown-haired companion. "She should have know this would happen sooner or later, despite how much she might have been attempting to stop it."

"Ryou, she gave up her damn daughter to keep her away from all the crap we have to go through - and you want to pull her into this despite Ichigo's wishes?"

The blonde glared at him, and he tapped a few keys into the console, revealing a blurred image of a floating pink figure. In it's hands appeared to be a set of pom-poms, and three small fading colors floated around the young girl in the photo.

"Now look at that and tell me she isn't already a part of this one way or the other," he spoke, his voice leaving no room for argument.

The brown haired man sighed and pressed a hand to his forehead. "It's not going to be my fault if she kills you."

Beside him, a purple-haired woman was watching the screen intently and the interest in her eyes was unguarded. She let a smile appeared on her face and she stepped closer to examine the many photographs of the younger generation that spotted the screen.

"It'll be nice to finally meet you, Amu-chan."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: <strong>Amu's birthday is September 27, and Libras fall under the dates of September 24th and October 23rd - making Amu a Libra.

Information about Libras:

_The symbol associated with Libra is the scales of balance representing the balance that they continually seek in their self and their life._

_Librans are among the most civilized of the twelve zodiacal characters and are often good looking. They have elegance, charm and good taste, are naturally kind, very gentle, and lovers of beauty, harmony (both in music and social living) and the pleasures that these bring. Librans are sensitive to the needs of others and have the gift, sometimes to an almost psychic extent, of understanding the emotional needs of their companions and meeting them with their own innate optimism._

_Their ruling planet it Venus._

_Their color choice is blue._**  
><strong>


	6. Baggy Blues

**Wow, 6 reviews - a new record XD**

**Lets keep it up people! Comments to anonymous reviews will be commented on at the end of every chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own _Shugo Chara_ or _Tokyo Mew Mew_.  
><strong>

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><p><em>"Amu, are you sure this is what you want to do? I mean, looking for information online is one thing - but going all the way to Tokyo to look for someone who might not even be there anymore? It's a bit ridiculous." Midori, Amu's adopted mother spoke, glancing at her husband who watched the cotton-candy haired girl expressionlessly. She was asking for only one thing: to go to Tokyo to find her mother, but the distance seemed much too great for her parents to willingly consent to such a trip. There was no say in how much school she would be missing, let alone <em>who_ she would be going with._

_"Mama, I'm absolutely sure. It's the only way I can really find anything is if I physically look," Amu pleaded. "I have to, please. Ikuto says he will go with me, and I know you may not be to keen on the idea of me being alone with a boy - but you know I am responsible and I can take care of myself. You've left me alone in the house for a week before, and going out on my own wont make any difference!"_

_Her pleading words and argument made it almost impossible for Midori to say no, but despite that her need to coddle and protect her daughter won over. "I'm sorry Amu, but I can't just let you-"_

_"You can go, Amu."_

_The mother and daughter gaped at Tsugumu, who looked sadly at the ground. It was abnormal, for Tsugumu to be the one to approve of something even possibly dangerous that Amu wished to do._

_"I know I may constantly try to protect you from the world, and may not understand you as well as your mother - but I know that the one way I can learn to understand you is by first trusting you. That is why I am giving you permission to go to Tokyo." He sighed and rubbed at his forehead, all of his usual energy sapped away by the stress of the situation._

_"Papa..." she whispered._

_"But make sure you do all of your homework!" he added quickly. "And don't let that boy touch you, or I'll wring his neck!"_

_Amu laughed and embraced her father with a squeal of joy. "Thank you, Papa! I love you, thank you so much!"_

* * *

><p>Amu had been remembering the morning her parents had accepted that it was her "duty" to find her mother, and even possibly the mysterious, nameless father. After speaking to Souko and Aruto, Ikuto's parents, it was decided that Ikuto would be the one to go with Amu to Tokyo - but only under the condition that Utau would accompany them to attend a music conference during their stay.<p>

Ami, upon learning that not only her sister, but most of the "sugoi charas", Ikuto and Utau_, _would all be leaving for an extended period of time - she herself begged and pleaded to join them.

Tsugumu and Midori would have nothing of it.

"Neh, Mama. Have you seen Ami?" she asked on the morning of her departure.

Midori shook her head softly. "She told me she didn't want to go. The last I saw of her she was headed upstairs about an hour ago with snacks to last her a week."

Amu was rather worried at her sister's behavior, but had no time to comfort her as it was time for them to leave if they were to make it to the station in time.

"She'll be fine," Tsugumu spoke, standing at the front door with Ikuto just behind him. "She's just a little upset we won't let her go. A little while alone will calm her down."

Ikuto stepped forward and picked up Amu's duffel bag with a grunt. "What in the world did you pack? Your whole room? It weighs a ton."

"No," she huffed, picking up her backpack. "It's just clothes, you're just over exaggerating."

Midori stepped onto the first step of the staircase and called upwards towards Ami's room. "Ami-chan. We'll be back in a little while. Behave yourself alright?"

There was no answer and Amu frowned at her sister's silent tantrum.

"Come on, Amu," Utau called from the curb where the cars waited. "We don't want to be late!"

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><p>Matsue Station was bustling and lively, despite the transit having yet to arrive. Women and teenagers on their ways to out of town stores, families using their Sunday afternoon to visit shrines and amusement parks, and then their was Amu - on her way to discover her identity.<p>

The current and former Guardians had all joined in the station to bid the three a goodbye. Amu's parents, as well as Ikuto and Utau's parent's had all joined in the farewell before the train arrived.

Yaya clung tightly to Amu's arm and let out loud bawling noises into her baggy, yellow sweater. "Amu-chiii, don't leave meeee!"

Amu could only sigh and pat the younger girl's auburn-haired head in a comforting manner. "I won't be gone forever, Yaya. I'll be sending e-mails every day - It'll be like I'm still here. Now, you have to let go - the train will be here soon."

She, however, would not listen, and clung tighter to the cotton candy girl - Pepe herself was clinging to the other five charas in desperation.

"Yaya, you have to watch over you're little brother right? If you don't get a hold of yourself, how can he learn to be strong like his big sister, hm?" Amu reasoned softly.

The fifth grader sniffled and stepped back to look at her with watery eyes. "R-Right! I can do that!" She then proceeded to cling to Kairi's arm in an attempt to distract herself with her boyfriend's presence.

Amu received hugs and heartfelt, sorrowful goodbyes from the remainder of the former and few current guardians she was acquainted with. Upon reaching Nadehiko, she was given a piece of paper with a phone number and address on it.

"I have a dancer friend in Tokyo who I'm sure might be able to help you. She's a bit high strung, but she can be pretty helpful when she has nothing better to do."

Amu thanked him kindly. She wasn't as awkward around the boy upon learning the reasons behind his cross-dressing fiasco. Of course, it still made her uneasy knowing he was aware of her odd secrets and such - but it gave her a reason to have a guy friend who she could easily confide in.

Tadase's farewell was short and sweet, handing Amu a box filled with treats from his mother and a 'good luck' for her journey. She had expected much more from the former king's-chair, but he seemed to be physically holding himself back from speaking too long - either because the train had just arrived, or simply had no words to say.

Amu, Utau, and Ikuto began to shuffle their way onto the train; Ikuto continued to jokingly complain about the weight of her bag while she carried his backpack until the transit doors had closed.

The two groups waved to one another until the train was out of view and on its way to Tokyo.

* * *

><p>Midori and Tsugumu returned home after separating from the Tsukiyomi's and had just entered the house when they could tell something was awry. Midori looked around the bottom floor of the house curiously for any sign of the bubbly six year old while Tsugumu called her name as he walked up the steps to the girl's rooms.<p>

Upon opening the door to the young girl's room, he saw it to be empty. He was sure that he had seen her depart to her room before they left, seemingly to skulk about not getting her way - but there seemed to be more to it.

He went and checked Amu's room, and found nothing once again.

"Mama! Is Ami down there? I can't find her!" he shouted in a panic. He stomped down the stairs and came to see a teary-eyed Midori standing in the living room.

"She's not here. She's not here. Ami, where are you?" she cried softly.

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><p>Amu was attempting to help Ikuto stow the bags in the net above them, but her bag seemed to be heavier than it had been before. Ikuto wasn't kidding. It seemed as if it gained 50 pounds in the hour between packing it and leaving for the train station. When they finally managed to get the bag above their heads, she plunked down in her seat with a sigh.<p>

"How long is it till the first stop?" Utau asked, glancing out the window at the edge of their town passing by.

"About three hours, then we need to transfer to a new transit which will take us to Tokyo. That one is about a four hour ride."Ikuto sat down beside Amu with his own sigh, leaning over to rest his head on her shoulder with a purr.

"What are you doing?" she hissed, blushing at his close contact.

"I've been up since three packing. Now be quiet, pillows don't talk." He looped his arms around her waist and proceeded to doze on her shoulder.

Utau, across from them, could only give Amu's expression a look of amusement. The bond between her brother and the younger, chara-bearer was amusing - and slightly romantic to say the least. The way she was embarrassed at his closeness was adorable, and yet she didn't attempt to push him away knowing that he was, in-fact, sincerely tired and just wanted to rest until they needed to move again.

Amu's phone rung softly in her pocket, and the cat-boy groaned as she shifted to retrieve it. She could not get one word in when she answered it, hearing her mother's panicked words, Amu felt cold for a moment despite the heat Ikuto's body provided next to her.

"Ami's missing?" she breathed in disbelief. "What do you mean! You said she was in her room before we left!"

Ikuto watched her as she talked frantically into the phone, shouting suggestions to her parents as to where the tiny girl might be hiding. Slowly, he lifted his head to look up at the screen above their heads, Yoru floating before Amu's duffel bag curiously as if he had already figured out the mystery. He stood and proceeded to open the bag.

Amu looked at him for a moment with a growl. "Ikuto what are you doing? Get out of my stuff!"

He smirked at her and his tail flickered into existence, twitching behind him in triumph. "I believe I might have figured out where Ami might be hiding."

She gave him an incredulous look. "Oh really? And where might that be?"

He returned his gaze to the bag where a set of wide, brown eyes watched him in a mischievous manner.

"In your carry on."

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><p><strong>Anonymous Reviews:<br>**

**Lu:** _Haha, you'll just have to see now wont you?_


	7. Vertigo

**What a surprise, 10 reviews last chapter! I feel so loved :D I'm sorry this chapter took so long, however I can't promise it won't happen again - I am a student and homework comes first, but fanfiction is defiantly right after ;)**

**I feel like the the descriptions of the characters take up the majority of the wordage XD**

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Tokyo Mew Mew _nor _Shugo Chara_**

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><p><strong>Chapter 7: Vertigo<strong>

Ami had always been a mischievousness child, getting into things she shouldn't have, despite having been given warnings. Many of her past actions were not as grave as what she had done at this instance. Hell, running out onto a rooftop among a super-powered battle did nothing to deter her from meeting her idol.

Ami didn't seem to find anything wrong with what she had done, and seemed even proud of the fact that her plan had worked out so well. Luckily for the little brat, Midori and Tsugumu were incredibly lenient with the younger Hinamori's actions, and allowed her to stay with her sister.

Ami now had snuggled down next to Utau and now slept silently with her head settled on the teen's lap. Utau raked her fingers softly through the six-year-old's hair with a smile

Utau, out of everything, was excited to watch over her young fan - which did not surprise Amu. Ami was, after all, Utau's inspiration for continuing her career in the first place.

Amu had her forehead pressed against the cold window, her eyes drooping with exhaustion. Ikuto, beside her, sat with his laptop open, his mind entranced by whatever he was reading. She would have preferred to lay her head on his shoulder, the soft cushion of his coat beneath her head; though she would never hear the end of it from the cat boy.

She rolled her head in his direction, attempting to take a peek at what he was doing on the computer. Windows of news articles and videos spotted the screen, spots of pink in several of the photographs.

"What are you doing?" she whispered, her vision blurry despite blinking repeatedly to keep herself awake.

He hummed and finished scanning a paragraph before glancing at the joker. "Have you ever heard of the Tokyo Mew Mews?"

She rubbed her eye and shook her head. "Does it have something to do with the Mew cafe?"

He was hesitant for a moment before shaking his head. "I'm...not entirely sure."

He pressed a finger to the screen to point out what he was indicating, a pink blob soaring high above the heads of the photographer and the rest of the crowd. Ikuto clicked onto another window, a short video of a large, hulking monster being taken down by what appeared to be five women besting it from below and occasionally leaping high above it's head before it faded into oblivion.

Amu felt her breath catch in her throat at the familiar sight. "Chara bearers, in Tokyo?"

Ikuto gave her a look of bemusement. "You didn't think Charas were limited to our area, did you?"

She gave a sheepish smile and Ikuto gave a roll of his eyes. "They don't have Charas, they're way too tall to be children."

"Adults with chara-like powers? It's unheard of!"

"Oh, and how would you know?" Ikuto gave her a flat stare and she fidgeted.

"Okay, so maybe I don't know everything-"

"Admittance of that is quite a step-"

"-but is it really anything for us to worry about?" she finished, wrinkling her nose at Ikuto's comment. "They haven't been seen in, what, ten or so years?"

Ikuto turned and scanned the screen for a moment before nodding in confirmation. "About fourteen, to be exact...but..."

Amu hesitated for a moment. "...But?"

"Some...weird things have been happening lately - in Tokyo. Some people think they may have seen one of the Mews."

For a moment, a thump of excitement ran through Amu at the thought of seeing a group of renowned superheroes, completely forgetting the fact that she was technically a superhero herself. "Do you think we might see them while we're there?" Her voice seemed _too_ excited at the idea, but it was an interesting idea.

"Perhaps, if we look hard enough."

* * *

><p>Arriving in Tokyo was probably the most hectic of their journey so far, having to wade through the throng of people to find the exit (and once or twice going back to search for a distracted Ami). The streets were bustling and discouraging to the group of teens - and child - and only until they find their hotel would they be at peace. If they <em>could <em>find it that is.

Amu could feel the onset of vertigo creeping into her vision at the sight of the buildings, towering much higher than any she had ever seen in her short fourteen years. The Easter branch in her city had been the tallest Amu had ever seen, and even then, I didn't stand in stature to the skyscrapers surrounding her. She was afraid she would pass out in the street if she stood there any longer.

She would be trampled in seconds!

"Amu, are you all right? You look like you're going to have a mental breakdown."

Utau's voice cut through the swirling onset of dizziness and she gave the songstress a weak smile. "I'm fine. We should keep going, find the hotel so we can rest."

The group, linked together by their hands - Ami settled happily on Ikuto's back - worming their way through the crowds like a human chain. They weren't taking any chances of being separated. Amu, at the back of the group, clutching Utau's hand in a vice-grip, kept her eyes turned downward as her stomach churned uneasily.

The Charas buzzed excitedly through the air like drunken bees, knocking together in their rush to see everything and toppling around like toddlers.

"Ooh, ooh!" Ran's enthusiastic squeals rang through the ears of several civilians, making them swat at their ears in confusion. "Look at that tv! It's so _big_!" The "television" hung thousands of feet in the air, a music video screen nearly four times the size of the one on the Easter building back home. Across the screen flashed a familiar persona, Utau to be exact, belting out a song Amu had never heard before.

"Ohhh! Utau, it's the new video!" Il screeched, peppering the blond on the top of the head with her feet as she danced excitedly.

Utau flung her head back, knocking the annoying little devil from her hat and looked up at the board hanging eerily above their heads. "Hm, it doesn't look as good as the studio cut. Maybe I-"

_**BOOM!**_

Suddenly, her words were cut short as a deafening explosion rocked the ground beneath them. The screeching of weathered, strained steel grated at Amu's ears, and her hands flung up to cover her ears - a bad decision as she had to let go of the only thing keeping her from being pushed away from the other three.

Debris began to rain down around the frantic crowd, glass sprinkling down in a soft dust and Amu felt the dread burn in her chest as she looked skyward at the previously entrancing board that had begun to tilt downward, casting a looming shadow over the tiny people.

Amu was soon swallowed by the wave of people, her hand outstretched towards the others as they were pulled in the opposite direction by the citizens scrambling for safety.

The board tilted further, a slow terrifying fall towards the earth, and the three people. Tails and wings sprouted from the two teens. Ikuto swung Ami from his back, holding her close as he leaping out of the way, situating himself atop the building opposite of the danger beside his blond-haired sister.

"Where's Amu?"

Amu, having been pulled along in the flow of the surging, frantic crowd, was unable to break free and could only watch as her life flashed before her eyes - her death suddenly sooner than she realized. A weight settled around her waist, pulling Amu from the swarm and towards safety.

A great burst of light, warm and soft, enveloped the people beneath the board, extending upward in a cylindrical dome.

**"PUDDING RING INFERNO!"**

The dome solidified, leaving a giant jell-o mold encasing the crowd safely as the screen settled on the top, stilling the chaos in time for two figures to appear on the street.

A teenager, at least that was what she appeared to be, short in stature with a thick golden braid and tangerine-tinted clothing clinging close around her neck and legs where at a lace-lined garter clung to her upper, left thigh with a set of similar leg-warmers and gloves. She grinned wickedly, a set of rings extended in either hand that glowed softly with pulsing power. She stood the closest to the crowd, and Amu could only gape at the set of twitching monkey ears and the tail that flicked wildly from her tailbone.

The second, a younger girl near eleven or twelve, slightly shorter than the teen beside her. Colors of minty white twisted around her body, puffing around her collar bone and flaring down into a short dress, splitting at the front into points around her hips and pushing outward in the back into a shape similar to a fishtail. Her hair, a soft faded mint hung short in the front and piled at the back of her head in a twisting pony-tail that fell past her shoulder blades. A similar set of boots to the older girl adorned her legs, reaching up to her knees which twisted inward in an awkward stance. She appeared uncomfortable, her hands clasped nervously around a dull grey harp, shoulders slumping forward as if to protect herself.

"Tomo-chan! Why didn't you do anything?" the golden-haired girl complained, seeming to hold the screen up with no effort at all. "You were supposed to blast it to smithereens!"

The girl gave a start and glared at the blonde. "I-I don't think I could have! Did you see how big that thing was? I would have been crushed along with them!"

The two girls began to bicker. A huff of air blew across the top of Amu's head, and it snapped her back into focus as she looked up at her savior - a blonde haired man who looked at her with a piercing gaze that made her skin crawl in discomfort. "Hmmm...You're pretty light. Wasn't expecting that."

Her face grew bright and she pushed her way out of his hold to scramble into a standing position, flattening down her skirt in the process. "Well sorry to disappoint you!"

"The Mew Mews!" The rescued people swarmed forward just as the two females disposed of the danger, the board as well as the giant jell-o shattering in a burst of sparkling light. It was then, before the crowd could trap the two, they sprung upward and disappeared over the roof tops.

Amu's heart was pounding, her Charas immediately rushed to her, chattering worriedly around her head. Their voices drowned out by the pounding in her head and the blood rushing through her ears. Common sense cut through her confusion, and she went to thank her savior, only to find he had vanished as well.

"Amu!" Ikuto, Utau and Ami all sped towards her from across the street, eyes wide and relieved as they grew closer.

Ami tackled her legs and she stumbled slightly, and Amu's head had become light and her vision beginning to blur - yet she could still hear the sobs of her tiny sister against her stomach. "N-Nee-c-chan!"

She pushed back slightly and crouched down to give Ami a loose hug as darkness began to creep into her vision. "Nee-chan is all right Ami. Everything will be all right."

"Amu? Are you okay? You-"

Utau's voice faded as sleep creeped up on her and fell unconscious before them, the stress and vertigo finally taking hold.


	8. Idiocracy

**So guys, I feel proud that this didn't take two months, only two weeks XD**

**This chapter is a bit of a reprieve from Amu because she is currently asleep, so this focuses on the Guardians and the Cafe :)**

**I know many of you may disagree with my choice as regards to Lettuce's behavior, but because she is no longer a teenager, she is emotionally mature and therefore her personality is quite OOC compared to as she would be as a thirteen year old :)**

**You also learn a bit about the new Mew!**

**You may notice a few pairings in this chapter, most of which are partially, if not completely canon :3**

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><p><strong>Chapter 8: Idiocracy<strong>

Tadase wouldn't lie and say he wasn't at least mildly jealous of Amu's choice to have Ikuto of all people to accompany her to Tokyo. He respected the fact that she had, in the end, chosen the cat-thief - but he was slightly irked that the teen would have a chance to spend such an extended amount of time (alone or not) with the Joker.

He understood her choice - after all, his feelings in the beginning were centered strictly for Amulet Heart. He had focused on a single part of the girl, and neglected to take into consideration the whole of her personality until it was too late, and had lost her heart to their enemy (now turned friend). If anything, he was more frustrated at himself, and chose to accept her final decision - no matter the fact that it hadn't been vocally announced, but it was implied by the pair's actions.

Tadase ran a hand through his blonde hair, taking notice that it had begun to grow out in the slightest. He regularly kept it cut, under the assumption that he would resemble his eccentric uncle too much - though he wasn't too concerned after Amu commented that the look would compliment him well. He took suggestions and compliments seriously.

With his textbooks stowed away in his work case, he left the middle school building and made his way across the long campus towards the elementary school building the rendezvous with the rest of the Guardians. Although he himself was no longer a Guardian, he still referred to himself as such because it was hard to discard the name with the fact that they still had the responsibility of protecting the hearts of the children.

The Royal Garden was still their main "HQ" as per Yaya's request - wanting to have everything as familiar as possible. The Royal Garden was a grand affair, hundreds of flowers in constant bloom as if by a force of magic. Vines twisted their way upward around a white arbor that marked the entrance and led into a small area of cement tiles surrounding a central fountain. In the center of the majestic greenhouse was a raised platform, a white-steel table with it's five matching chairs and two extras in which the rest of the group had already convened.

Yaya was throwing a small tantrum, Kairi incredibly flustered as he tried to comfort his elder girlfriend. She sat with her head pressed to the glass surface, crying up a storm as the others watched with small grimaces.

"Yaya, she's just left for a little while - it's not like you won't see Amu again."

She just began to cry harder, flailing around. "Nooo! Amu-chiiiiii!"

Tadase sat down and set Yaya a soft smile, unsure if he should interrupt her tirade.

"I never would have expected Amu to be adopted. I can't imagine what she's been going through. I suppose going to Tokyo and finding her parents is the only way for her to be at peace with their choice of giving her up." Nagihiko's words seemed to turn the attention from the baby-like girl unto himself.

"Why didn't they tell her until now though? I mean, it would have caused much less heartbreak in both parties," Tadase said.

The group grew silent and Yaya's cries grew softer, turning into a sniffle as her cries became ignored.

"That reminds me," Rima said, "what was that number you gave to Amu?"

He smiled. "A friend of mine, a dancer I met in Europe during my tour. She's a rather...complicated woman - but I have a feeling she would be a good influence if Amu get's a bit put down by any lack of success."

Rima gave him a questioning look. "She?'s? They're a girl...what's her name?"

The group seemed to still at her tone, and even Yaya had finally grown quiet and stared at the couple in apprehension.

"Rima..." Nagihiko gave a weak smile and patted her hand lovingly. "You don't need to hide your jealousy. She's in her thirties, much too old for me, both in age and and in interests! I only have eyes for one girl."

His words of flattery seemed to work and she lifted her head haughtily with a smile, a soft blush on her cheeks. "Don't dodge the question, Nagi. What's her name?"

He chuckled and shook his head. "Her name is-"

Suddenly the door to the garden slammed open, and Kukai came dashing through the door with a laptop tucked beneath his arm, still wearing his uniform from soccer practice.

While Daisuke joined the other charas inside their makeshift home, Kukai dashed to the others, his eyes wide and frantic. "You'll never guess what happened!"

Everyone was speechless, startled by his sudden appearance and nobody responded to his exclamation. They stared at him for a brief moment and he sighed, setting the computer on the table and angling the screen to where everyone could see. He leaned forward at an awkward angle and clicked the play button beneath a video titled "explosion and TOKYO MEW MEWS!"

The video began to stream, starting off with a clip of the beginning of the explosion, a flash of light emanating from above the unaware people and sending them scattering like ants. What caught the group's attention was the spot of pink that bobbed and fought it's way through the crowd.

"Amu!" they collectively shouted. The girl did in fact appear to be Amu, being pulled along in the sea of people, Ikuto and Utau nowhere to be seen. The board above that seemed to be the source of the explosion began to fall and suddenly a bright light enveloped the crowd and a formation similar to the Holy Crown appeared, cushioning the debris. The video soon cut to a pair of girls, bickering off to the side who appeared to be wearing elaborate costumes that were too unusual to be anything but Character Transformations.

The video soon cut away as the two females disappeared and the Guardians stared in complete disbelief. Kukai shut the screen and sent everyone a look of concern.

"Forget the fact that Amu was there. What was it that made the screen collapse when she just so happened to be beneath it?"

Kukai's question was a trigger and suddenly they spoke in murmurs at explanations to the incident. They spoke in hushed whispers as if trying to hide a secret from a nonexistent crowd.

Suddenly, a phone began to ring, and Tadase fished his cell from his pocket. The screen read '_Amu'_ and he immediately chose to accept the call - and demand answers.

* * *

><p>"I'm not speaking to you."<p>

Lettuce was rather miffed with Ryou after the incident he had pulled earlier, and refused to look him in the eye as she swiped a wet cloth over a newly vacated table and arranged the pastry plates on her opposite hand. The cafe was nearly empty, the young teens filing out as the day dragged on near closing time.

"Oh come on, I had every-" his argument fell on deaf ears as she began to hum loudly and headed for the kitchen, drowning out his argument.

Entering the kitchen, Lettuce scowled at the girl sitting on the kitchen counter, a spoon stuck in her mouth and a jar of peanut butter in her hand with an expression of pure bliss. "Shirogane Tomoka! Get off of that counter this instant, we prepare food on that! And what have I told you about eating the ingredients?"

Tomoka, the minty haired daughter of Ryou and Lettuce, gave her mother a mischievous grin. "I lost count at seventy-four, Mama."

Lettuce sent the girl a tiny glare and shook her head, shooing her from the counter-top and setting the plates down, plucking the jar from her hand and placing it next to the dishes. As she passed Ryou he handed Tomoka the jar again with a wink and a pat on the head, following his angered wife out into the empty cafe again.

"Look, I know you're angry with me, but I had to test her!" Ryou said, close behind on her heels as she swept through the room towards the cluttered tables.

"I don't care if you had to test her or not. It wasn't your decision to make - Ichigo left Amu out of our lives so she wouldn't end up following the path that the rest of us took." She piled the remains from the table onto the tray in her hand, and with each new plate she put on, Ryou would take one off and set it back on the table.

"She would have ended up like us one way or another - and she has. Have you been ignoring the evidence? She's abnormal, supernatural even. I had Tomoka destroy the board to-"

Lettuce slammed the platter down on the table and gaped at him. "You had Tomoka do _WHAT?! _You had our daughter put the lives of those people, and Amu, in danger just so you could test powers she may or may not even have? _Have you finally gone insane?!"_

The porpoise Mew had been pushed far past her boiling point, something that had been incredibly rare when she was her daughter's age. She had always been calm and collected, sometimes incredibly flustered and incredibly clumsy - and thirteen years prior, motherhood had corrected that. She had become incredibly emotional, overprotective and vicious; more like a lioness than a docile sea mammal. She didn't particularly know Amu, only having held her once on the day of her birth - a beautiful child with wispy pink hair and large golden eyes - but she had a connection to the girl. With Ichigo having gone AWOL and being unseen for nearly a decade, she felt as if she had the precedent to watch over the teen whom she had yet to physically see after fourteen years.

"Ryou," she spoke, her voice barely above a hiss, "stay away from Amu. If and when Ichigo returns, she will not hesitate to kill you for getting Amu involved. I don't want to have to explain to Tomoka and Hideaki that their father is dead because he stuck his nose too far into their Aunt's affairs."

He stared at Lettuce, a brief expression of guilt that disappeared as soon as it had come. "I know she's special...Ichigo will thank me for doing this - heck, maybe bow to me if she's learned any manners."

Lettuce threw her hands in the air and groaned. "Forget it then, just ignore everything I said. It's not like I have any choice in this. You're wrong and it's going to hit you like a bullet train when you realize it. It's the only way you ever learn."

"But she's like Ichigo. She needs a push-"

"Ryou, she is a normal girl. She tried to _run_, like a normal person! If she were anything but a regular human, she would have gotten out of there in an instant. Your pride will be the death of you one day. Just promise me you'll let sleeping dogs lie and stay away from her."

Ryou muttered a "fine" beneath his breath, and seemingly satisfied, Lettuce return to the kitchen, her last trip into the cafe. The lights had been shut off on her trip out and Ryou was left in the darkness.

Tomoka emerged from the swinging doors and stared at her father in amusement. "Your fingers are crossed, aren't they?"

A smirk. "You know me so well."

* * *

><p><strong>Note: Hideaki is their younger son who will not make as many (if any) appearances as Tomoka will.<strong>


	9. Wake Me Up Before You Go Go

**I'm aware that it has been (quite literally) a year since I last updated, and the only thing I can say is that at least it wasn't as long as my last hiatus!**

**I have to say though, that this chapter is my 7th draft and I still don't think it is good - I feel like everything is going too slow. Hopefully by the next chapter Amu will be meeting the Mew Mews...or maybe the antagonists?**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9: Wake Me Up Before You Go Go<strong>

The basement lab, as usual, was stuffy and illuminated by the abundance of surveillance equipment, flashing bulbs and monitors. The night had been long, the time far past midnight, and yet the blonde-haired scientist refused to leave his studies. Lettuce and Tomoka had headed home early, leaving Ryou to stay the night in the Cafe to avoid the continuing wrath of his wife. He refused to see reasoning for his actions; from his point of view testing the Momomiya spawn had become a quest of sorts. He knew she wasn't normal, and couldn't be - Tomoka was evidence of such. Lettuce reasoned it was because both parents had the Mew gene, but Amu's father was far from normal in comparison to Ryou.

The team hadn't seen neither hide nor hair of Ichigo or the estranged father of her abandoned child since the day she had given Amu away. For some time, the group had searched, but after several years resigned that the pink-haired leader just didn't want to be found.

Ryou considered for a moment, now that Amu was in search of her mother, if Ichigo would return. Though, if she had wanted to see her daughter, she would have kept her in the first place. In the end, it was the engine search for one "Momomiya Ichigo" that alerted Ryou that Amu was searching for her mother, and set up a little trap to lure the girl to Tokyo - and she had responded well to the call.

Lettuce could continue to be mad at him all she liked, but Ryou was going to go as far as possible to bring the girl home. Ichigo wouldn't have named him Amu's godfather if she didn't believe he could take care of her. What better reason did he have than to bring the girl home safely?

The powers weren't much of a shock, but they were intriguing compared to the rest of the Mews. He watched the news, despite what people believed, and the coverage about the incident at Easter headquarters had caught his interest. The fact that it was in the city his goddaughter lived that made it all the more interesting. And the YouTube videos of the night-air battle? The perfect data he needed to strengthen his theory.

The way her Mew gene had manifested though...it was incredibly odd. From all the blurry cellphone videos he had found, none of them showed any sign of animal characteristics on Amu. Beside that was the fact that she had multiple personas. The idea was just plain ludicrous but at the same time absolutely amazing.

His fingers glided across the keyboard, retrieving footage from the "attack" revealed more than what he had been expecting.

* * *

><p>Out of all the aching she felt, her head outranked out of everything. When Amu woke, the light stung her eyes and everything was smotheringly hot, her body laying on what felt like a bed, and the light was searingly bright behind her thin eyelids. She could hear the distant sound of voices, most likely in another room considering their muffled quality. The bed she lay in was far from uncomfortable and she was reluctant to forfeit the solace of the heavenly pillow for whatever pain might accompany moving any muscle to get up. She was in enough pain already, and didn't credit herself upon being any form of masochist - but curiosity killed the cat after all.<p>

She barely remembered what had transpired, only recognizing the memory of a falling jumbotron and the terrified screams, rushing bodies trampling across the sidewalk and crowded street, a warm set of arms, a blonde (and snarky) man, and then darkness coupled with the worried violet eyes of her (not hers!) Ikuto.

Did I faint? Amu thought in horror, realizing that the violet-haired chara bearer had seen her in another moment of weakness. Those have been happening quite recently, she mused.

Reminding herself, for a brief moment, why she was in Tokyo in the first place was enough to convince her protesting body upwards and allowed the blinding light beyond a wall of glass to finally reach her watery eyes. It was obviously a hotel room, a rather luxurious one at that, with ebony walls and a plush white carpet that looked as if it belonged among the clouds. The bed was large enough to fit several people, and was in perfect view of the doorway through which she spotted the mousy brown pigtails that could belong to none but Ami.

She ignored the annoying itch to explore the rest of the room, and removed herself from the bed, trembling slightly and grabbing the side table to help her balance. With a fond smile at the four charas that slept peacefully on the pillow beside her own, she shuffled towards the sitting room and closer to the hushed voices.

"-eed to take her to a doctor, what if she won't wake up?"

"Amu isn't as weak as you think, Ikuto. What makes you think she won't wake up?"

"Her fever is getting too hot. If it gets any worse her brain will fry and she'll be nothing but a vegetable."

Amu snorted, supporting herself on the doorframe. "And everyone just knows how much I hate vegetables."

Ikuto look more than relieved, but quickly schooled his features and smirked. "Well now we know why the milk isn't working."

Amu couldn't really bring herself to respond, and stumbled towards the center of the room. Utau was at her side in an instant and helped her into the single, overstuffed chair. As soon as she was comfortable, Ami had scrambled silently into her lap and clutched her elder sister in a tight hug that had Amu smiling softly and returning the hug, despite her protesting muscles.

"Careful Ami," Utau said soothingly when she saw Amu wince as the toddler's hug grew tighter. "Amu is still a bit hurt. Don't want to make it any worse do you?"

Ami hummed, leaning back, and Amu felt her eyes burn at the sight of her sister's appearance. The girl had obviously been distraught, her eyes rimmed red, lips chapped and cheeks crusted with dried tears. The girl's usually even pigtails were uneven and drooping, lengths of her chestnut hair falling back against the nape of her neck.

Without a second thought, Amu removed the awkward pigtails and began to fix them as well as her blurry vision allowed. As soon as Amu finished, Ami set her head back down on her sister's chest and clutched at the front of her ruffled sweater.

A pale hand grasped Amu's wrist and she shifted her gaze up to Ikuto, who settled himself on the arm of the chair, his mouth twisted into a frown. "Amu...Are you alright?"

Was she alright? Of course she was...kind of. Maybe not as well as she could hope to be. A little stressed maybe. And awkwardly depressed...A lot depressed. But that was normal, she learned from experience, after waking up from some kind of workout or extreme chara battle she had felt similar to now. Maybe she wasn't entirely okay, but she sure as hell wouldn't admit that. In fact, she felt more sick to her stomach than anything, and then there was the god awful headache that made her feel like her eyes were being shoved outward from inside her head.

"A little tired is all...and really sore," she responded, her voice hoarse. "Do we have any asprin?"

Utau left the room before Amu had even finished speaking, and returned with a small bottle and a glass of some colored liquid. Amu didn't really complain as the taste of the power-drink washed over her tongue and she swallowed the pills, but her questioning look was enough for Utau to answer.

"My choreographer always said that if I was having muscle pain that I should drink something with plenty of electrolytes and then some water - I find it is especially good after a fight."

Amu nodded slowly, and finally rested her forehead against the top of Ami's hair, smiling softly as she realized the silent toddler had fallen asleep upon her lap. It appeared Amu wasn't the only one exhausted from the ordeal...or at least whatever it was.

She recalled a memory from when the pair were younger and Amu had been sick, their parents had left Amu in charge and they would not be back until her mother's work conference was over in several days time. Amu had been forced into bed by the toddler, and Ami brought her everything she could need - only leaving her bedside to bring back Amu a box of animal crackers and a juice box. It was a sweet time, and Amu could only imagine how Ami had reacted upon Amu being in such a comatose state for however long.

"How long was I asleep?" She pondered aloud.

"A little over a day, it's only about seven in the morning at the moment."

So a day, and Ami probably hadn't left her bedside - probably hadn't even slept if the bags under her eyes were anything to go by. Amu would have most likely done just the same if Ami were the one confined to a dreamless sleep for any extended amount of time.

"I called Tadase earlier, I had a feeling they found out about the incident and filled them in on the current situation." Utau sat herself down on the couch opposite of Amu, her eyes gazing intently up at the ceiling in thought. "We tried to piece together what could have caused such an accident. Tadase believes it might have just been a 'wrong place wrong time' kind of moment; but Nadehiko is convinced it was a targeted incident."

"Targeted?" Amu was not entirely surprised, x-characters had targeted her in the past because she was the strongest of the Guardians, but the possibility of being targeted out of their area of influence was unexpected.

"Yes. Nagihiko believes that the enemies of the Mew Mews could sense our powers and perceived us as a threat - tried to wipe us out before we could interfere in any way."

Amu scowled at Utau mockingly. "You've gotten so morbid, Utau-chan."

The blonde blinked and pressed a hand to her cheek. "Why Amu, you've gotten so charming! I love the hair."

Amu let out a squeak and pressed a pair of open palms to her fly-away pink hair, glancing over at Ikuto to make sure he hadn't seen her ridiculous bed hair (obviously he had but he didn't seem to be paying attention).

"Nii-chan?"

He grunted a reply and stared down at the laptop (when in the world did he pull that out?) in which he was watching the news coverage of the accident.

"Is something the matter?"

He looked up, briefly glancing back and forth between the two girls and let a smirk slip onto his face. "It's nothing, just my mind wandering. Amu, are you well enough to head out?"

"Yes, I think so," the pinkette responded.

"The Cafe opens in an hour, and I think we will be expecting more than we bargained for."

* * *

><p>"-so tasty, fresh and young-"<p>

"- the power is tremendous-"

"-destroydestroydestroy-"

"-ou think they would be fun? I haven't had fun in so looong-"

"-they are puny, no match for our skills. Why not destroy them while they are-"

"-kekekeke, so much to kill, so little time-"

**ENOUGH**

The cacophony of voices dulled to a buzzing silence, the roar echoing through the dark antechamber, small lights flickering on and off in nonsensical patterns through what appeared to be a room tilted on its axis. Jagged rocks formed from fallen pillars spotted the floor, and each held a form aloft at varying heights. Golden, pewter, red, and white eyes gazed out from the darkness, nearly 7 different pairs locked on the center of the room where a hefty globe sat, glowing softly and pulsing with raw energy.

**THE...GIRL...POWER...**

One of the forms leapt forward, landing in a kneeling crouch before the orb, her hair a startling silver against the blackness. _"Your Highness, the girl you speak of is by the name of Hinamori Amu, a wondrous being of power."_

**ONE...US…**

A set of startling white teeth appeared in the blackness beneath the head of silver hair, the light from the orb illuminating small portions of what to be a woman's form._ "She has potential...and her heritage is ideal for our plans._"

**OTHERS….INTER...FERE**

The woman tilted her face upward, the light revealing her golden eyes and pale features, an unearthly beauty and lipless mouth. The alien was stunning, but as she smiled, her expression spoke of insanity and misfortune.

_"Death awaits them, my Queen."_


	10. Posting Info

**_*PLEASE READ EVERYTHING: INCLUDES IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING MY POSTING SCHEDULE THIS YEAR.*_**

I want to apologize to all my readers for my absence. It's been over a year and a half since my last update, and it has been almost over 3 years since I've updated some of my stories. I know you all are expecting me to one day jump back into writing and dishing out chapters like a machine, but the fact of the matter is that my stories all require a bit of cosmetic work before they're completely ready to be continued.

I had a lot going on in just the past year- starting college, getting kicked out of my house, having to drop out of college because I couldn't afford it, moving in with my mother, and finding a new job (which ended up being full-time and way too much for me to handle doing anything but working).

I recently left my full-time job to start working part-time at Disney (yay!). Part of what helped my decision was so I could get back to do the things I used to during High-School (ie:fanfiction and cosplay). I'll be taking courses over the summer as well, so my time won't be completely devoted to fanfiction, but my goal is to get all of my stories re-written by September or October at the latest.

As for my stories, I do have a priority list of what I will be continuing, putting on hiatus, or re-writing. They are as follows:

* * *

><p><strong>HIGH PRIORITYRE-WRITING:**

_Dream Girl_: In-Process of re-writing. Will most likely be re-posted on my other account _stinkerdoodle_.

_Double Trouble: _In-Process of re-writing. There's only one chapter, I know, but I still want to re-write things and try to explore a different route.

_Blue-Haired Beauty: _In-Process of re-writing. Not much of what I originally had written beforehand really appeals to me, so it may end up having to put it on hiatus while I re-think the plot.

**HIATUS:**

_Puberty, Parents, Eggs, and Love:_ I really do love this story, I just need to reacquaint myself with both series before I even consider continuing. If I have the time, I will get back to it.

_Bloody Feathers:_ The same situation with PPEL, I haven't read either series in years, and I want to reacquaint myself ASAP.

_Queen of Fools:_ I honestly have no idea where I planned on taking this, and it will be on hiatus until I officially decide to discontinue or not. I may just make a visual story out of it on AO3 instead.

**DISCONTINUED:**

_Eyeshield 21: Hiruma's Secret:_ I have said before that this story will be discontinued, however now I am taking the plunge and removing it completely. I have no urge to continue it nor do I feel any remorse in the idea of killing it off. I will be posting another Eyeshield 21 story in the future to replace it, just not soon.

* * *

><p>Hopefully this will give you something to look forward to in the next few months as I go through and re-write my stories. If there is any information regarding an individual story, I will post it both on the story itself and on my profile.<p> 


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